1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a herbal preparation for anemia and, more particularly, to a herbal extract obtained from mulberry and Acanthopanax senticosus and a medication comprising the herbal extract for therapy or prophylaxis of anemia.
2. Description of the Related Art
Anemia, also known as aneamia, refers to a decrease in number of red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin in blood, or oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule. Anemia may result in hypoxia in organs, poor biochemical response in tissues and finally leading to various disorders, such as head ache, dizziness, palpitation, somnolence, and paralysis in a hand and a foot. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), a standard quantity of hemoglobin in blood is 13 g/dl in men, and 12 g/dl in women, and therefore, a lower level than the standard quantity of hemoglobin is anemia.
Anemia is a common disorder in blood, and is usually divided into two types, including heritage anemia and non-heritage anemia. Generally, conventional therapy of heritage anemia is mainly based on bone marrow transplant and medicine. Yet, non-heritage anemia is treated by oral supplementation of hemopoietic materials, such as iron, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin B6, B12 or vitamin E for the sake of maintaining the hemopoiesis in bodies.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the heart, being a center of blood circulation; the liver, being a storage organ of blood; and the spleen, being a key organ in hemopoietic system; all play a significant role in anemia. As a result, Chinese herbal medicine for disorders of the heart, liver and spleen, for example, ginseng, Codonopsis pilosula Nannf., Chinese angelica, Rehmannia glutinase, longan, red date, wolfberry (Lycium barbarum), ejiao and mulberry, are usually used in the treatment of anemia.
In conventional art, herbal preparations of “siwu tang,” comprising Chinese angelica, Ligusticmchuanxiong franch Hort., Chinese peong (Paeonia lacciflora), and Rehmannia Glutinosa; “siwutang adduct,” comprising chinese angelica, Ligusticmchuanxiong franch Hort., Chinese peong, Chinese knotweed (polygonum multiflorm), black date, wolfberry,Rehmannia glutinosa and Codonopsis pilosula Nannf.; “angelica tang,” comprising Chinese angelica, astragalus membranaceus, or “ren shen yang rong tang,” comprising ginseng, atractylodes, Radix paeoniae Alba (supefine), Wolfiporia extense, Astragalus membranaceus, licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), cinnamon, Chinese angelica, schisandraceae (Schisandra chinesis), Ziziphus jujube Mill., and ginger (Zingiber officinale), are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat of anemia. However, the refining and decocting process of those herbal preparations is complicated, time consuming and wasteful in cost. As a result, due to the inconvenience of those herbal preparations, the herbal medicines for anemia are less popularized and unacceptable to the mass of population.